RockRay wrote:My question is simple will a handdril work to bolt a route if so how gud does it work and any sugestions on wich on to buy thanx

Yeah it works Personally I use the Petzl Rock Pecker (not sure what else is out there).

All depends on what rock you're hammering into, and your enthusiasm for the job at hand - keep in mind that technique plays a big part as well, and trial and error should give you an idea of what works well and not.

8mm's are fairly simple, 10mm take a bit longer and 6mm are good for aiding on

And to answer your question: It depends how many bolts you want to drill, as it might just be easier to hire out a drill for the day, unless it's a bolt or two on a trad route.

Hand drills work just fine but you need a good weight hammer like the Chouinard Yosemite hammer. I have placed one standard full length 10mm bolt in hard quartzite. 30min hammering. Very, weight, time and cost effective for the odd bolt and yes the Petzl is fine.

The only serious point I have is........shouldn't you use only bolts 10mm and above (and stainless steel bolt and accessories of course) to maintain the safety standard that it universally accepted today?

I think bolting a full sport route with a handdrill is not for the feinthearted! Where do you stay? Maybe there is somebody that can help you out. In my opinion you are wasting your time going the hand drill route. I bolted the first 4 bolts on my first sport route with a Petzl hand drill and then borrowed a drill to continue the business. I still use the handrill, but only if there are 2 or less bolts to be placed. As Snort says for a 90mm express anchor it would take about 30mins. The other advantage of getting somebody with a drill to help you is that they can give you some advice if you are new to bolting.

Thanx guys I live in Secunda and know of a few possible crags in the area how would I know if the rock is ready to be bolted or how do I test the rock to know if the rock is strong enough to climb. Even better do you know if some one gives caurses on bolting that I can take.